I'd like to feel that whatever I play is a result of whatever I've heard.

Names and theoretical things don't occur to me. If they do, I'm not doing my real playing mode.

After playing now for 60 years, it's still very challenging for me to play a simple melody and have it clean and touch the reed at the proper time in the proper way.

Bernstein grew up in my building in New York. He's a very, very fine player. When he was a kid, he came by to find out what was going on in the world of jazz.

I could stop and say, Well that was a D minor, G seven, but I really don't want to know that. I just want to know that there's a combination of notes that makes a sound.

I'd like to feel that whatever I play is a result of whatever I've heard.

I understood that if I wanted to work, the saxophone was the main instrument. The clarinet was what we call a double.